Beaumont Mining Corporation
by InsideOutlaw
Summary: First of Two Sequels to Mail Call: Heyes is planning his revenge on those who crossed him.
1. Chapter 1

The Kid found his partner behind the Devil's Hole barn sitting in the sun on an overturned bucket. On his lap was Lucifer, the big orange and white tomcat that had staked his claim on Hannibal Heyes. At Heyes's feet were Scratch and Beezie, two more of the Hole's mousers. All four were lounging in the summer sun. Kid's cousin was tipped back against the barn wall with his eyes closed, absently stroking Luce's sun-warmed fur. Kid paused for a moment amused to see his usually energetic partner looking so very relaxed. It was hard to get Heyes to rest and it pleased Kid to see him this way. Rest was something Heyes sorely needed. It hadn't been but a short time since Heyes had nearly died from a serious gunshot wound and it had affected him greatly. Since they had gotten back to the Hole, Heyes had been quiet and withdrawn. Kid knew he had been brooding and was licking his wounds; and that always meant trouble ahead.

Deliberately making noise to signal his approach, the Kid sat down on the ground next to Heyes, who opened his eyes and looked down at his friend, squinting. "Hey, Kid," he said shifting his weight and tipping the bucket forward. Alarmed by the sudden movement, Lucifer leapt off his lap and disappeared around the corner of the barn followed closely by his brothers.

"Heyes, I've been looking for you," said Kid.

"Been right here, working," said Heyes, closing his eyes as he leaned back again.

Kid snorted, "Working? Looks to me like the only thing you're working on is your beauty sleep."

"Ah, but looks can be deceiving. I was working on my plan for Beaumont Mining," said Heyes with a grin.

"C'mon, Heyes, I thought we'd given that one up as too dangerous," said Kid.

"You gave it up, Kid. I'm still working on it," answered Heyes looking at Kid. "Why were you looking for me?"

"Just was. You've been making yourself scarce lately," said Kid.

"I've just been thinking a lot, that's all," said Heyes brushing at the cat hair on his trousers.

"About what, Heyes?" asked Kid watching his partner's face carefully. He'd know a lie when he saw it. He could read Heyes like an open book. He was the only person who could.

"This and that. Why do you ask?" said Heyes, avoiding a direct answer.

"Don't do that, Heyes. I know that's what you always say when you want to put someone on the spot," said Kid.

"What?" said Heyes.

"You always ask: why do you ask?" said Kid. "That way whoever you're talking to has to explain why they're being nosey."

"So why _**are**_ you being nosey?" said Heyes.

"I've been worried about you. You've been awful quiet lately and that's never good," said Kid.

"Kid, you're always telling me that I talk too much. Now you're telling me I'm too quiet? Make up your mind," said Heyes laughing gently.

"Heyes, I want to know what you're thinking about so hard. You know, we haven't talked about what happened," said Kid.

"What happened?" asked Heyes.

"You almost died! That's what happened. Don't tell me you can't remember almost bleeding to death?" said Kid.

"I remember. I got shot. I'm okay now," said Heyes.

"Well, I'm not," said Kid. "I watched you bleeding out, Heyes. Do you have any idea how that felt? I thought you were finished."

"Kid, I know it was hard on you but what do you want me to say? I'm sorry I got shot and scared you?" said Heyes. He was genuinely shocked that Kid was still so upset. Kid hadn't said a word about it since they'd gotten back to the Hole.

"Hell, no, Heyes. No. I just don't want to watch you die. I can't do it," said Kid looking down at the ground.

"I can't promise you that won't happen, Kid. C'mon, we both know that the odds are against us. We've been real lucky so far," said Heyes gently.

"That's just it, Heyes. I think our luck is running out," said Kid.

"What are you saying? Are you saying you want to quit?" asked Heyes, surprised by the turn in the conversation; he hadn't expected this.

"Yes. No. I don't know. Maybe," was the reply.

"Kid, we made our choices a long time ago. There's no quitting for us; we're way too good at what we do. You know that," said Heyes.

"I guess so. I just don't want to watch you die," said Kid. "Heyes, you have no idea how bad it was; you couldn't breathe; there was blood everywhere and when Sophia laid that hot knife on you….the smell…you screamed…." said Kid.

"You've got to let it go, Kid. I didn't die and I am not planning to anytime soon, but we have no say in when any of us go and you have to leave it at that," said Heyes.

Kid dropped his head in defeat. He could never explain just how afraid he'd been and Heyes didn't want to hear it. Looking up again, he said, "All right. Tell me what you've got planned for Beaumont."

With a huge grin, Heyes said, "Well, I am still waiting for a bit more information but I don't think I want to hit the payroll train."

"You've changed your mind about hitting Beaumont?" said Kid confused.

"No. It's just not going to be a payroll job. I'm not striking back at a bunch of hard-working miners; I want to make Beaumont Mining Corporation bleed, and I want them to bleed gold. We're going after their gold shipment," said Heyes.

"Are you crazy? You know those shipments are heavily guarded. You're _**trying**_ to get yourself killed, aren't you?" yelled Kid, jumping up and frowning down at Heyes.

"No, Kid, I'm not, but Beaumont and Bill Decker owe me a debt and I aim to see them both pay up," said Heyes.

"You're going to risk the lives of your own men just because you feel the need to strike back at someone? How do you think they'd feel if they knew you were risking their necks to satisfy your own need for revenge?" asked Kid angrily.

"I think they'll feel pretty good if I can make them a hundred grand, Kid," replied Heyes.

"Gold's heavy. How do you plan to ride off with a hundred grand in gold? Have you thought of that? That's got to be….what…..200-300 pounds in gold? How are you going to spend those gold bars?" snarled Kid.

"I'm still working out the details, Kid, but I have a few ideas," said Heyes.

"Forget it. I ain't letting you do it!" said Kid flatly.

"And I _**ain't**_ asking your permission. I want you with me, but you can stay behind if you want to. I am telling you, though; you aren't stopping me," said Heyes.

"Like hell I'm not," said Kid, fists clenched. "You try it, Heyes, and you'll be laid up again. I'd rather hurt you bad myself than let you get yourself killed doing something that stupid."

Standing up slowly and stiffly, Heyes reached out and grasped his partner's shoulder. Looking him hard in the eye, he said, "Kid, I told you I ain't planning on dying anytime soon. You're gonna have to trust me on this one. I'll do this as safely as it can be done, but I _**will**_ do it." Heyes dropped his hand and walked past Kid leaving him standing in the sun broiling from his own temper.

OOOOOOOOOO

The Kid rode out that afternoon without saying a word to his partner. He was so angry with Heyes that he couldn't bear to be near him. He planned to ride out for a day or two and do a little hunting until he calmed down. Better he shot game than his partner.

Preacher was riding in just as Kid left. The two nodded in passing and each went on his way. Preacher pulled up in front of the leader's cabin and dismounted. He took a moment to knock the trail dust off himself; Preacher knew how neat Heyes was and didn't want to hear any fussing over the dirt he dragged in. He pulled a thick envelope out of his jacket pocket and taking the steps two at a time, he rapped on the door and entered the cabin.

OOOOOOOOOO

Heyes wasn't worried about Kid's departure. Kid had obviously ridden off in a snit. None of his belongings were gone. Heyes had checked his room after Preacher had left.

Heyes knew how much he had upset the Kid, but it couldn't be helped. He was doing this job even if he had to do it alone; which just may be the case. Preacher had brought the information he had been waiting for. He had all the pieces of the puzzle, now he had to put them together into a plan.

Sitting back down by the fire and pouring a glass of whiskey, Heyes pondered his own motives. He realized that his need for revenge might prove self-destructive someday, but he couldn't stop it. It wasn't all ego; as leader of the Devil's Hole gang he had to constantly prove that he always had the upper hand. If he allowed anyone to get the best of him, his own men would be next in line to try.

The Beaumont people and Decker had nearly killed him and had tried to ruin Sophia in their greed for gold and he wasn't going to let that go. It was one thing for a posse or a bounty hunter to shoot him; that he could forgive, after all he was wanted; but these people had thought he was a law abiding citizen and they had been willing to murder him for their own ends and take a poor woman's home. It was more than that, though, and he knew it. It was that feeling of losing control; of being at someone else's mercy; being a victim. That's what he really couldn't forgive. The light burned in the leader's cabin all night.

Kid returned late the next day laden with a deer and a brace of quail. He'd had fun hunting and was much calmer now. Kid felt ready to face whatever new hare-brained scheme his cousin had come up with. He had accepted that Heyes was going to do what he planned to; he always did. It was up to Kid to make sure he didn't kill himself doing it. Kid didn't agree with Heyes all the time, but he knew he'd back him up no matter what.

What disturbed Kid the most about this scheme was his partner's need for revenge. Crossing Heyes always led to fireworks. It was funny, too, because Heyes was forever telling him to let things go; not to get drawn into a fight. It bothered the Kid that it was so important to Heyes not to be bested. Kid guessed that's what made Heyes famous at outlawing; he never let anyone get the better of him…at least, not for long.

Kid laughed at himself. Who was he kidding? He needed to be the fastest gun in the West just like Heyes needed to be the smartest brain. Sure, Kid needed to be fastest for practical reasons but why had he taken up gunslinging in the first place? To protect them both is what he always said, but that was only part of it and he knew it. He took it up because he'd hated being powerless when his family died. He had picked up a gun for the power and he had practiced every second he could to be the fastest gun he could be. He did it for the power and the control. Once word got around that Kid Curry could outdraw anyone he had the upper hand and now there weren't many situations that he couldn't control with a word or a glance. Heyes, too, had achieved that same sort of power, he'd just taken a different path.

Reining up in front of the cabin, Kid swung out of his saddle and tied his gelding to the hitching rail. The cabin door opened and Heyes poked his head out. "Hey, Kid. Are we okay now?" he asked.

"Yes, Heyes, we're okay," said Kid tiredly.

"Great. I've got a plan I want to run past you," said Heyes disappearing inside the cabin again, leaving the door open.

Sighing, the Kid stepped inside and shut the front door.


	2. Chapter 2

Two weeks later, Heyes was standing at the employee's gate to the Beaumont Mining Headquarters in Denver. In his pocket he had a forged letter of recommendation from the Mayor of Denver, no less. Soapy Saunders's contacts were amazing. Heyes looked through the tall wire fencing at the dingy buildings beyond it. It was a bleak landscape. The buildings were forbidding and there many unfamiliar, huge pieces of mining equipment strewn about the yard. Heyes hated the mines; not just for the greed they represented but for the blight they cast on his beloved west. Some of the most beautiful, pristine parts of the Rockies now bore permanent scars from the search for precious metals.

Heyes waved to the armed guard standing outside the building marked office and smiled widely as the man approached the gate. "Good day, Sir. My name is Kendall Canton and I'm here about the Office Manager's Assistant position. I have an appointment for a job interview with your manager, Mr. Plochett.

Nodding, the guard opened the gate and led Heyes to the office without a word. Heyes studied him from the corner of his eye and surmised that this one was a few cards shy of a full deck. Frowning at Heyes's scrutiny, the guard gestured to Heyes to go in. Heyes entered the nicely appointed office and smiled at the plush furnishings. He sat down in a comfortable chair to await the manager's arrival.

OOOOOOOOOO

Heyes started his new job an hour later. Impressed by his credentials, also forged, the manager had hired him on the spot and he was now sitting in the outer office arranging his desk. Directly across the room from him was a beautiful, new Carolina Safe Company Model 46B. Heyes had read about these and knew they were not easily opened. They were the new generation of safes with muffled, sequential tumblers. He loved a challenge and was just itching to get his fingers on it. In front of Heyes was a stack of delivery receipts that he was to prepare for payment. He began to sort through them though his mind was occupied elsewhere and every so often he'd look up at the safe.

The mining company was expanding and had been building a new smelter building since last spring. This meant there were a lot of supplies moving in and out of the complex, and, subsequently, a lot of receipts for Heyes to account for. The construction work was being done by a fine old Denver firm, owned by another company which was owned by a company owned by Soapy. Heyes loved how the business world functioned. It made it so easy for a crook like him, he thought with a happy grin.

Heyes stood up and looked out of the window next to his desk. He had a great view of the new construction. He could see the entire team of laborers and craftsmen all hard at work on the building; including a young, curly-headed young man who had his shirt off and was sweating up a storm. Heyes couldn't hear the young man cursing his lazy partner with every swing of his hammer.

OOOOOOOOOO

Heyes made it a point each day to take a stroll around the complex after his lunch. He told Mr. Plochett that it helped to clear his head and kept his mind sharp. Mr. Plochett had just smiled and nodded at his new assistant. He was well pleased with Mr. Canton and had no doubts that his mind was already quite sharp. Heyes had discovered several errors in the accounting books the first week of work and had allowed his manager to take full credit for them. Mr. Plochett had rewarded him for his loyalty with added responsibilities. Heyes was being allowed to review all records for accuracy. This is exactly what Heyes had been hoping for and he was now keeping a close eye out for any information about Bill Decker. Heyes had his spies working overtime looking into Decker's financial dealings. Sy Sloane had already come through with some great information including this job opening. He hadn't found it yet, but Heyes knew he'd find Decker's soft spot soon.

Heyes wandered over to the smelter building. His daily walks always led here sooner or later. He stood in his shiny, new shoes and immaculate suit and enjoyed watching the tired, sweaty laborers; one in particular, who gave him frequent dirty looks. After one blatantly rude gesture, Heyes waved the young man over to speak with him. The blond-haired brute now stood before him with his eyes downcast submissively as befitting his station.

"Heyes, I swear I'm going to f**king kill you when this is over," said the outwardly servile young man without looking up.

"Now, Kid, is that any way to speak to me? I'm going to make us all very, very rich," said Heyes smugly.

"There ain't enough money in the world to stop me from killing you for this, Heyes," growled the smiling young man nodding to the assistant manager. Another laborer walked by and Kid said, "Yessir, will do, sir. Thank you, sir."

"There now, that's better," said Heyes, pleased. Lowering his voice and changing the tone, Heyes said, "Kid, I've ordered the wagon to arrive next Tuesday. The shipment goes out Wednesday morning before 10 am. Let Hank know to tell Wheat it's going out on the Wednesday train. That knucklehead better get it right. It's another month before the next shipment and I don't think you'll last that long."

Chuckling, Heyes turned on his heels and walked back to the office to complete the day's duties. Kid stared at Heyes's back, his hands itching for a gun.

Heyes had been organizing the shareholder accounts at his manager's behest having done such a great job on the accounts payable. Dipping his pen into the inkwell set in the corner of the desk, he neatly wrote out a detailed list of the shareholders, how much stock they controlled, and their legal addresses. He then wrote out an exact copy which he blotted, folded up, and tucked into his jacket pocket.

Heyes worked late that night to help prepare for the stockholder's meeting next week. His manager had left earlier for a dinner date with his wife and another couple. Mr. Plochett had patted Heyes on the back as he departed and thanked him for his diligence. Heyes smiled and wished him a good evening. He liked and respected Mr. Plochett. His boss was an honest, hard-working man and Heyes would do everything within his power to keep Plochett from being the fall guy for the planned robbery. It meant a few adjustments in the plan, but nothing the Kid and Heyes couldn't handle together.

After the office door shut, Heyes waited another twenty minutes and closed the drapes against the chill of the night and prying eyes. He settled down in front of the safe to work the tumblers. He already had two of the five numbers, but it was taking longer than he'd hoped. The night guard would be escorting him out in another hour so he put his ear to the door and went to work.

OOOOOOOOOO

Kid had soaked in the bath for a long time that night and still couldn't get all the grime off his hands. Standing at the bar with a cold beer in front of him, he waited for Hank. Kid looked at his palms and closely examined the large blisters and raw, open wounds that pained him. He hated hard work.

He looked up at the sound of the saloon's batwing doors swinging open. Hank was just walking in. He had a grin on his face and walked directly up to Kid. "Hey, Boss. How's it going?" said Hank.

"Don't call me Boss. Call me Harlan," hissed Kid.

"Harlan? Sure, Kid," said Hank. Kid rolled his eyes. Sometimes he wondered why they needed a gang.

"Tell Wheat to be ready next Wednesday. The shipment's going out on Wednesday's train. Are you clear on that?" said Kid.

"I'm clear. Now buy me a beer, Har…lan," said Hank with a grin. Kid bought him a beer.

OOOOOOOOOO

Friday morning, the laborers paused in their work to watch the long convoy of wagons delivering the raw ore from the mines. They came in three shifts. One convoy from each mine; there was one from the Silver Queen, one from the Motherlode, and one from the Sky Chief mines. Each was accompanied by twenty armed guards. The Beaumont Mining Corporation Headquarters was swarming with activity. Kid leaned on a shovel and watched as Heyes ran down the long lines of wagons and checked the manifests. Mr. Plochett followed his protégé smiling benignly.

The ore would be offloaded and carefully weighed and accounted for before being sent to the old smelter building. There it would be smelted and poured into molds which would in turn be cooled in huge vats of cool water. The gold bars would be unmolded, stamped with a serial number, and stored in the large company safe in the office to be shipped out by rail to the San Francisco Mint under armed escort.

OOOOOOOOOO

On Tuesday, headquarters received a shipment of bricks that Heyes had ordered for the new smelter building. Heyes stood outside with Mr. Plochett and supervised the unloading of the bricks. The last of the bricks was unloaded as the noon whistle shrieked. Heyes thanked the young Harlan and Rafe Haskins for all their hard work and instructed them to load up all the construction debris for removal the next morning. Turning to walk back to where Mr. Plochett stood, Heyes missed the ugly looks directed his way. The driver would be hauling the wagon to the dump the next day. It had been Heyes's idea to cut the cost of deliveries by doing backhauls. He was making sure that every wagon that left the complex was carrying away building debris or slag from the smelter. This was going to cut quite a bit of the cost of transportation. Mr. Plochett was delighted with his enterprising young assistant.

OOOOOOOOOO

Tuesday evening, Heyes stood behind Mr. Plochett and watched as that gentleman carefully placed the heavy gold bars in the steel reinforced trunk in which they would be shipped. Heyes recorded the weight of each bar and its serial number neatly in Mr. Plochett's book. Three armed guards stood around watching and bored. They'd watched this a million times. Once completed, Mr. Plochett secured the steel hasped lock to the front of the trunk and smiled at his assistant, "There, Mr. Canton, we are ready for shipment." To the guards he said, "Place this in the safe and guard it with your lives. The escort will be here at dawn to take the trunk to the train. Mr. Canton and I will be here as well to be sure it goes smoothly. Good night, Gentlemen." The guards all watched as the manager and his brown-nosing assistant left and then they settled down as comfortably as they could to nap for the night.

"Good night, Sir," said Heyes nodding to Mr. Plochett. He opened the door and stumbled on the first step signaling to Kid that it was all in place. Kid dropped his hammer clanging it loudly on the pile of bricks stacked at his side. Heyes knew he'd gotten the message.


	3. Chapter 3

That night, in the hours just before dawn, an explosion in the old smelter building shook the Beaumont Mining Corporation Headquarters. The building went up in flames and quickly overwhelmed the night crew. A bucket brigade was formed but it couldn't keep up with so few people. One of the men, a curly-headed fellow ran to the office and flung the door open only to face the leveled guns of the three guards. He screamed at them to help or the whole place would go up in flames. Seeing the fire leaping in the sky, the three holstered their guns, locked the office up tight and ran to help. It took several hours, but the flames were finally extinguished. During that time, activities were so confused that no one noticed a dark figure pulling one of the debris-laden freight wagons to the side of the office building nor the curly-headed fellow who awaited the wagon's arrival.

Kid reached up and snagged the team's reins; steadying them. The smell of the explosion, the yelling, and the flames had all served to unsettle the normally placid animals. "Easy now, take it easy," he whispered soothingly to the nervous horses. He wasn't worried about being overheard; the noise in the yard was deafening. Heyes jumped down and went to the rear window of the office. He jimmied the lock with a flat-bladed knife he always carried tucked into the shaft of his boot. Heyes easily slid the window open, climbed the sill, and slipped inside.

Kid, having applied the brake and ground-tied the horses, walked to the rear of the wagon. He slammed his hand into the lower left side of the bed and a board popped out. Kid pulled it out the rest of the way and set it on the ground. He looked into the false bottom and smiled. Stacked inside was a small pile of gold painted bricks. Leave it to his wily partner to come up with this idea; now they just had to get the gold.

Heyes quickly opened the safe. He had spent every idle moment he'd had this week, playing with the dial. It had taken far longer than his ego had allowed for, but he had finally gotten the combination. Now, he swung the door open, smiled down on the steel trunk sitting there, and pulled out his lockpicks. The lock gave quickly and Heyes opened the trunk. The gold bars gleaming up at him took his breath away. Quickly, he emptied the safe of gold. Heyes crossed to the windows and leaned out, "Psst."

Kid reached into the concealed compartment and pulled out several bricks and passed them up to Heyes at the window. Kid went back for several more until Heyes nodded that they had enough. Disappearing inside again, Heyes carried the bricks over to the safe where the trunk hung open. He worked fast to re-fill the trunk with the gold painted bricks leaving just enough room on the top for one layer of the real gold bars. Finished, he re-locked the trunk and began ferrying the gold to Kid at the window. Kid, in turn, was carefully stacking the bars in the secret compartment of the wagon.

"That's the last of them, Kid," said Heyes as he climbed out of the window and slid the sash closed. He couldn't do anything about the open window lock, but, if all went well, no one would be checking the windows.

Heyes smiled and slapped Kid on the back and received a nod and broad grin in return; Heyes then slipped away down the length of the building, disappeared around the corner, and into the night. Kid climbed into the wagon and picked up the reins. He drove the team behind the back wall of the new smelter building and backed the wagon next to the others awaiting removal tomorrow. Kid unhitched the team, and keeping an eye out for witnesses, he led the horses back to the comfort of their stable. Once they were settled, he too, slipped into the night.

OOOOOOOOOO

Mr. Plochett, having been awakened from his bed, arrived just as the sun was coming up. The devastation to the old smelter building was complete. A fire brigade had arrived and was dousing the flames. Mr. Plochett saw his young assistant arrive at the gate and went to meet him. Mr. Canton was hastily dressed and slightly disheveled.

"Mr. Plochett, I heard the sirens. What happened?" asked Heyes breathlessly as though he had run a great distance instead of the mere 50 yards that he had.

"We don't know yet, but I suspect it was a hydrogen explosion in the smelter," said Mr. Plochett.

"Hydrogen?" asked Heyes, who was thinking about the small, blond fellow with a love of dynamite who just happened to drive in a special wagonload of bricks today.

"Yes, it can be a by-product from the sulphuric acid used in the smelting," said Mr. Plochett distractedly.

"Was anybody hurt?" asked Heyes, knowing Kyle had thoroughly checked out the building before setting his charge.

"No. No one was in the building at the time. Thank God," said Mr. Plochett, pulling out his pocket watch. "Egads, it's nearly time for the escort to arrive. Follow me, Mr. Canton, we need to check the shipment."

Mr. Canton followed in Mr. Plochett's footsteps with a serious expression on his face.

OOOOOOOOOO

Unlocking the hasp, Mr. Plochett swung open the trunk and peered down at the neatly aligned gold bars. Smiling, he quickly shut the trunk and secured the lock in place. He nodded to the head of the escort company who handed him a receipt for the shipment.

OOOOOOOOOO

At the train station, Heyes and Mr. Plochett watched as the trunk was loaded onto the specially reinforced rail car. The expressman waited as Mr. Plochett once again opened the trunk and checked its contents. Satisfied, he locked the trunk and handed the key to the expressman, who signed off on the manifest. Heyes and Mr. Plochett stepped off the train, the door was slid shut, and locked tight. Taking out his handkerchief, Mr. Plochett wiped his forehead, and turned to his young assistant. "Well, that is a relief to have done. Now, Mr. Canton, we'd best see to the cleanup."

Returning to the Beaumont headquarters, Heyes spent the rest of the morning organizing the cleanup of debris. Fortunately, there were several empty freight wagons available to be loaded. The first wagon was ready to go as the day shift came on at 7 a.m.; it was driven by a small, tobacco-chewing blond man with a permanent smirk on his face. Heyes smiled a greeting to the driver and shook his hand, "Kyle, you know where to meet Wheat, now don't you?"

"Why sure I do, Heyes. Don't you worry," said Kyle slapping the reins at the four in hand draft team he was driving. The horses moved off straining mightily against the heavy load of debris they were hauling.

Heyes watched as Kyle was stopped at the gate and the wagon was carefully examined. This was standard procedure, but with last night's excitement, the guard was taking it a bit more seriously. Finally, the guard waved the small man through and he was on his way.

Mr. Canton resigned his position late that afternoon. He said that the explosion and the pressures of the job were too much for him and he realized that his nerves were not up to the work necessary at the Beaumont Mining Corporation. Mr. Plochett tried his best to persuade the young man to stay, but could not.

Harlan was found to be missing that day and, for a while, there was some concern that he might have been caught in the explosion. These fears proved to be unfounded, and it was later believed that his nerves had failed him, too.

OOOOOOOOOO

Heyes and the Kid galloped into Devil's Hole two days later, whooping and hollering. The gang spilled out of the bunkhouse and cheered them in. Even Wheat was smiling and waving excitedly.

Dismounted, Heyes strode to the barn and pulled open the doors. Inside stood the freight wagon Kyle had driven all the way back to the hole. The gang watched as Heyes slammed his fist in the rear lower left hand corner of the wagon bed. The secret compartment popped opened and Heyes peered inside. It was empty.

"Good work, boys. Beaumont Mining won't even know they're out ninety-two grand until that trunk arrives in San Francisco. They'll never know what or who hit them," said Kid smiling.

"Aww, Kid, seems like people ought to know that it was the Devil's Hole gang that pulled off the greatest robbery ever," said Kyle. The other gang members piped up agreeing with Kyle.

"What will make it great is that no one will figure out who did it. It'll be a mystery. People will talk about the Great Beaumont Gold robbery forever," said Heyes.

"But, Kyle's right…..,"began Wheat.

"No, he ain't, Wheat. We've got enough money on our heads and enough people after us. If I hear of any of you bragging on this job, it won't go well for you. Understood?" said Kid catching the eye of each man.

There were lots of grumbles, but no one dared to mention it again. Heyes was a master at concealing their tracks. If the law only knew how many unsolved robberies the Devil's Hole gang had pulled there'd be more than $20,000 on _**each**_ gang member's head.

Heyes laughed at the looks on his men's faces and said, "Boys, if no one suspects we pulled this, they won't be watching each of you when you blow all that cash."

The boys nodded happily at this. Kid smiled and left the barn.

Turning to his lieutenant, Heyes asked, "So, you got it all to Soapy? Did he give you a receipt?"

Wheat reached into his pocket and said, "Yep, its right here, Heyes. I had to sign it and everything."

Heyes took it and looked it over carefully. Smiling, he folded it and put it in his own pocket and slapped Wheat on the back and then, laughing, hugged him outright. Wheat stiffened for a second and then caught Heyes in a bear hug and lifted him off his feet, laughing delightedly. The whole gang broke into smiles and Kid came around the corner of the barn, his arms loaded with whiskey bottles. "Boys, I think we're gonna have us a little party!"

OOOOOOOOOO

The next day, Kid woke up late with a nasty hangover. He rolled onto his back and stared at the cracked ceiling above his bed. With every pulse of his heart, his head pounded a nail into his brain. His mouth was dry and sour tasting and his stomach was squirming. He soon became aware of an obnoxious whistling coming from the main room of the cabin. Groaning, he inched his way carefully to the edge of the bed and stood up slowly. The room was still moving, but not as badly as last night. Well, that was good; at least he remembered last night. It had been a wild celebration, but he survived it.

He staggered through the doorway only to see Heyes sitting at the table, a cup of coffee at hand, looking very composed and writing something while whistling an off-key tune. Kid burped noisily causing Heyes to look up at him. Heyes said, "Kid, coffee's on. Go pour yourself a mug, I've got something to show you." Heyes gave a delighted little laugh like he did when he was especially pleased about something.

Kid just eyed him and made no move to get coffee. Coffee was the last thing his stomach needed right now. Heyes said, "What? Oh, just sit down. I'll get the damn coffee." Heyes walked over to the stove and poured the brew into a mug and then placed it in front of the Kid. Kid looked down and stared at the cup for a very long time. Heyes had returned to his seat and was again writing. Finally, Kid took a tentative sip of the coffee.

"Kid, we grossed about $69,000 after we give Soapy his cut for fencing it. That's the best we've ever done. $69,000 and you and I get a third. That's $23,000, or $11,500 each. The boys'll clear about $5,000 each. Now, I'm going to need to use a bit of our money to settle the score with old Bill Decker, but still, that ought to last a good long time even with our costs taken out" said Heyes. He had a lot of hidden costs in running the gang. His spies were expensive and the supplies necessary to keep Devil's Hole going weren't cheap either. Even with him and Kid taking a third off the top, Heyes always had plenty of incentive to plan the next job.

"_**Our**_ money, Heyes?" said Kid.

"Kid, I need it for the next part of my plan," said Heyes.

"_**Our**_ money?" said Kid.

"Kid, c'mon," said Heyes. He had a plan but wisely figured that now was not the time to lay it all out to the Kid. Instead, he put away his papers and got up to cook his partner a heavy, fat-laden breakfast. Hannibal Heyes was a survivor, too.

**This story is the second in a series that began with Mail Call. The next story is entitled, "Big Bill Decker".**


End file.
